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͹
  "The Monthly Magazine That Puts the Power in the Hands of the People."    
ͼ













ͻ
      The UltraSound Source Magazine released for Friday, May 6, 1994.      
ͼ






 Ŀ     Ŀ     Ŀ     Ŀ     Ŀ     Ŀ     Ŀ     Ŀ     Ŀ
   ĳͻ  ĳ
    ĳ                --Table of Contents--                 ĳ
 ĳ  ͼĳ  Ŀ
   ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ
    ͻĳ  ͻ
 ĺ  Forward and Welcome...   ĺ          --Articles--          Ŀ
 ͼ  ĳĺ  "The Redfern Report"         
    ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ                  --Dave Redfern  
 ͻĺ  "The Demo Scene"             Ŀ
 ĺ        --Editorials--          ĺ                --NutCracker    
      "From an Editor"                 "'Mouche on Digital"         
 ĺ                --Nick Tucker   ĺ                --Scaramouche   Ŀ
 ĺ  "Of Explosions"              ͼ
                    --Joseph Baxter   ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ
 ĺ  "The G-List"                 ĳ  ͻĿ
 ĺ                --Nick Tucker     ĺ   Information and FAQs   
    ͼ  ĳͼ
 ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  Ŀ
                                         



ͻ
            "Forward"  The First Release and Turn-around Time...           
ͼ
     
     Greetings once again, everyone.  After much waiting (various reasons)
we decided to go ahead with a first issue, including the articles that we 
had already on-file.  We were caught by circumstances.  For us to wait until
we were able to use the graphical interface would have been too long a 
period to go without releasing an issue.  And if we had released a first 
issue in March or April, it would have been extremely sparse :).  So, 
splitting the difference seemed the next best thing to do.  Hopefully the 
editors were able to do so in some level of expertise.

     As is mentioned above, we do have a graphical interface--it is right
now under construction.  The PC demo group Immortal Syndicate approached us
and offered to help out by coding one for us.  The editors would like to
sincerely thank Immortal Syndicate for this.

     The next issue will also (barring usual snafus) begin our series of
MIDI workshops, which will be pertaining to sequencer techniques and little-
known secrets.  We will be adding more workshops, possibly by the next issue,
on MIDI hardware, Digital music editors, and composition.

     And along these lines, we'd like to mention that we are still in search
of game-fix and game update writers (Wayne Sterling, Keith Jones, Adam
Rosenburg--you guys out there?).  Furthermore, if you are an expert on some
GUS-related area that we seem to have forgotten, please contact us.  The
address for all potential writers is:  gusnews@aol.com   

     In addition to the new articles, we will be accepting Letters-to-the-
Editors in the next issue.  This will be for comments, announcements, and
to tell us how we've horribly screwed something up.  The address for sending
a Letter to the Editor is (notice the "ed"):  gusnewsed@aol.com

     Thank you all for the interest shown in this magazine.  It is distributed
without charge in a spirit of co-operation for the common cause, that of the
Gravis UltraSound card, and its rightful place in primacy of the multimedia
world.  All articles are submitted without renumeration, and are purely the
views and opinions of the writer.  We are not, nor will we ever, serve as the
mouthpiece for Advanced Gravis, neither are we affiliated with them in any
way.  Our goal is purely and simply to get the proper information into the
hands of UltraSound users, so this card can be used to it's fullest poteintal
by all.  We feel that a growing base of satisfied GUS owners is the only way
to ensure that this card will become a standard, and receive automatic native
support.  Thank you again for the interest, and we hope you enjoy The
UltraSound Source magazine.
     
     (One final BIG note:  Nick reports that Compuability offers the
UltraSound MAX for $173.00 + $5.00 shipping.  1-800-558-0003 is the number to
call.)


ͻ
   The UltraSound Source   --    Editorials    --     Friday, May 6, 1994   
ͼ

     Future issues of The UltraSound Source will include several other
editorials, many of which may be authored by persons who advocate the
use of other soundcard brands.  We feel that this can be done in the
spirit of good fun, and that it will make for enjoyable reading.  Also,
we will be including editorials from others of our staff whenever the
urge to gripe comes over them as well.


ͻ
                   "From an Editor..."  --  Nick Tucker                     
ͼ

     Hello gang!  Since this is our first issue, I would like to start
with a little info on myself.  I'm 18 years old attending my last year
of high school (yay!).  Starting spring of 1995 chances are that I will
be spending my next few years at Duke University majoring in Computer
Science (what else?).  Math has always been my strong point and English my
weak one, but I am going to attempt to write anyway.  :)

     My background in computers goes back 13 years when I got a Commodore
64 for my birthday.  Since then I have added 2 more Commodore 64s, a
Commodore 128D, SX-64, Amiga 2000, and 2 486s to my computer 'collection'.
Ever since I had learned of the Amiga, it had been the computer I had been
loyal to.  I still am, to a point.  Finding new software, or hardware for
the Amiga became a pain in the last few years.  I did not want to jump ship,
but I was really forced to.  The Amiga will always be the best computer,
in my opinion.

     After getting my first 486 3 years ago, I instantly knew I had to have
a sound card.  I am generally a games and telecommuncations person.  Games
are what I like about computers most, however I know I spend more time on
the phone than I do playing games.  Of course then there is MO-DOOM, which
would take time in both areas. :)  At that time I got a Sound Blaster Pro.
Having an Amiga before, the SoundBlaster Pro really did bite.  There was
one thing about it that was better than the Amiga, digital audio.  You would
find a lot more of that in IBM/Comp. games than in Amiga games.  The size
reflected this, too.  I knew right away I had to get something better.
Later I learned that Electronic Arts was promoting the Gravis UltraSound
through a deal, that if you bought a game from them, you can get the GUS for
$99 more.  After seeing the specifications for the card, and promised game
list for support, I jumped on it.

     In mid-July, I received my Gravis UltraSound.  At the time no one really
believe that it was going to be possible for it to be Roland MT-32 compatible.
How reality has changed that. :)  Ever since then I have been as loyal to
the GUS as I had been to the Amiga.  There are times where the GUS will
be a pain in the neck, but these ARE computers we are messing with here.
Its not like everything in this world is going to work 100% of the time,
because it simply isn't.  If you have the patience, and are willing to work
for what you want, it will happen (sometimes).

     Now that's over with, I'd like to welcome everyone to the first
issue of The UltraSound Sound, (hereafter TUSS).

     After putting out our TUSS "Pre-release" a few months back, 1994, we have
received quite a bit of interested parties in our newsletter.  I realize
there was hardly any advertisement for the pre-release, which was on purpose.
The people that would find TUSS would be the hardcore type that is always
looking for GUS stuff, which is what we are interested in.  Not to say this
is not just for anyone with a GUS, because we believe anyone that has a GUS
could benefit from our newsletter.  We already realize that not everyone
that is on a BBS has access to the Internet, and thus was not able to send
comments because all we listed was an Internet address.

     Now for some actual GUS talk.  First the good stuff, of course.
I spotted an Ad for the GUS Max in _Multimedia_World_ magazine, pages
32 and 33 that really hits some of the fine points of the GUS.  Since
this is the very first Ad I have seen for the GUS since its intro about
a year and a half ago, I ask where has advertising been since that time?

     Also, people looking for more information on the GUS may want to 
check out the June issue of _Compute_, as they did their reviews of sound
cards.  They did a very good job of introducing sound in genereal for 
people that do not have sound cards and are potiental buyers of one.  There
was really no reviews, just facts about each card.  The GUS was on page 57,
and they gave a fair idea as to what is going on in the GUS world.  They 
mentioned that "Advanced Gravis is aggressively pushing software developers
to write for this card and take full advantage of its high-quality wave-table
features."  Loading patches from disk, that way companies could put their
on sounds on the GUS themselves was made a point, too.

     Here is an example of what we go through just being GUSers.
_Windows_Sources_ (May 94) did about a 10 page review of soundcards,
mostly for multimedia.  The Gravis UltraSound MAX was reviewed on p. 190.
I found some of what it says to be inaccurate and misleading:

     ..."(Our unit had 1 meg of RAM; make sure you don't buy the standard
unit,
which only has 256K)"...

     The last time I checked the MAX had more than 256K on it.

     ..."It is also the only sound board reviewed that uses a daughterboard to

perform 16-bit waveform recording; without it, you can only record at 8
bits."...  (This was also noted in the caption that was with the picture
under the review.)

     The title of the article is the "Gravis UltraSound MAX".  Sorry, I do NOT
believe it requires the 16-bit daughtercard, since this is one of the things
the major MAX has that the original GUS does not have. (The daughterboard does
exist, that allows you to record at 16-bit with the original GUS.)

     ..."Unfortunately, its poor signal-to-noise ratio resulted in audible
distortion and hum during the recording test.  Although the test unit was
a preproduction model, the problem resulting from its design is likely
to remain."...

     A GUS with poor signal to noise?  Load up a MOD player for the
SoundBlaster and a MOD player for the GUS side by side and play the same file
through the same type of system, and hear it for yourself.  This is the reason
a lot of people have told me that the GUS is much better suited for MODs and
digital playback, because it is so much clearer and more defined.
     
     In a Nutshell, what they did was they got a regular GUS, added a 
16-bit recording daughterboard to it and call it a MAX.  Very unfair,
in my opinion.

     The other bone I have to pick this month is with Apogee and Cygnus
software.  (As taken from the description on the game Raptor on America
Online)

     ..."The heart-pounding music in Raptor will leave you breathless,
especially if you have a high-end sound card like the Roland or Wave
Blaster"...

     1 line later:

     ..."There is also native support for the Adlib card, the Gravis
UltraSound, the Pro Audio Spectrum 16 card, as well as having PC Speaker sound
effects (no music there) for those who do not have a sound card."

     True, they did mention GUS support, however the WaveBlaster is a
'high-end' card and the GUS isn't?  We are a victim of context.
Quality-wise the GUS is a better card than the WaveBlaster for most practical
applications, the music go with a SoundBlaster or compatible to have digital
playback, while the GUS has both, and is still the same price or cheaper.
Does not make much sense to me to get a WaveBlaster over a GUS, much less that
it is 'high-end' and the GUS isn't.  Sorry, I do not buy this one either.

     I realize since this file came from America Online it is likely that the
staff wrote the description of the file, however, having been a volunteer
staff member of AOL myself for right at 3 years now, I know how it works.
More less any company releases, the company is going to describe the file
themselves, since they want it to look good.  It will then get edited to
fit AOL's "atmosphere", which in this case would leave a good bit of it
unchanged.

     The other thing about Raptor is in its help file "RAP-HELP.EXE" that, of
course comes with the game.  There is a section in it titled "ATTENTION
GRAVIS ULTRASOUND USERS" in which a part of it reads:

     "If you are playing the game, and experience slowdowns in the music
during heavy action, you'll need to reduce the number of digital channels to
less than 4.  The reason for this is because the GUS card cannot handle the
amount of information being fed from the game, and the music and game will
slow down.  The Gravis UltraSound uses a sound mixing routine that is
different from any other sound card.  Because of this, it is incapable of
keeping up with the information that the game is feeding it; hence the
slowdowns."...

     Now wait a minute, the GUS can not handle the amount of information being
set to it by the game?  I find that VERY hard to believe, why do you suppose
demos are able to run faster when they support a GUS instead of SB?  The
GUS does not require as much CPU time to do the mixing it has to do, this
leaves the CPU free to do the other tasks that it needs to do.  Want some
more wood for the fire?

     ..."Picking a digital channel setting higher than 4 on a Gravis
UltraSound card is not recommended.  Some of our testers can run it that way;
others could not.  Unfortunately, we were not able to fully resolve this
issue, and it was the sole issue delaying the release of the game.  A decision
was made to release the game as is, since it works for the majority of our
testers.  We hope to have this issue resolved in a future release of the
game."

     I'll tell you when that will happen, when Apogee rewrites the code for
the sound to optimize the usage of the GUS instead of trying to slow it
down.  The GUS Support was the SOLE issue delaying the game?  This sounds
too much like conspiracy here.  It seems all too much that they do not
like the card (which is fine).  That statement looks like it was put there
to get people angry at Gravis and the GUS (which is NOT fine).  Had this
been a SoundBlaster problem you think they would have fixed it?  I'll
get off my soapbox now, my views and points made.  I hope to hear from
some of you who have comments or share these feelings.  Let it be known
I really hold no grudge against Apogee or Cygnus, they are both very fine
writers of software for computers, and I'm grateful that they decided
to support the GUS.

     What's going to be in these TUSS's?  Well, we have a ULT review, or two.
Do you like Demos?  We have a demo section all for you that is going
to be about the new demos being released that one way or another
deal with the GUS!  The G-List will now be included in all newsletters.
In case you have not heard; Marc Paulin, the original author of G-List, found
someone to take over the list for him as he is finishing his last year in
college and time is becoming more and more hard to come by for him.  That
someone is me.  So, from here on out, look for the G-List to go with TUSS.
This does not mean, however, that the only updates to G-List will show in TUSS
because that is not true.  It will still appear almost weekly on most
major networks as it used to.  The most current one at the time will be
the one implemented into TUSS.

     Think I have done enough talking for this month, happy GUSing!

                                                          Nick Tucker


     (Note:  We later found that some of the statements cited here as being
in the AOL file description are also found in the CATALOG.EXE file that is
bundled in any authentic shareware copy of Raptor.)


ͻ
                    "Of Explosions"  --  Joseph Baxter                      
ͼ

     Over the past several months, I am more and more sensing a change in the
grand order of the universe.  Odd things are happening around me, and I am 
completely unable to put reason to them.  I shall give the reader a few 
instances of these strange occurrences.
     
     First, and possibly even foremost (Who can say with such titanic forces 
at play?), the nozzle in the shower stall has ceased its heretofore incessant
dripping.  I will refrain from relating my views on the dark mechanics that
appear to be involved with such a feat.
     
     Secondly, an auto repair which was to cost over $400.00, did not, in 
fact, double as it by nature would have--but instead cost only $78.50 (with
labor).  How, if all is truly right in the world, could this obvious assault
on the proper order of things be so?
     
     Thirdly, and by far the most grave in this, the barest fraction of the
listed dire events, UltraSound users seem to be receiving some measure of the
respect which they supremely deserve.  No more are the blackguard of the net
masses hoisting that grim banner, stating simply, "This net GUS-bashes!"
     
     It does make one wonder, doesn't it?  Surely it can't be in any way 
related to the facts we GUS users have been crying to the wind for all these
many months?  Could it--in literal fact--be that the GUS simply is the best
and most cost-effective PC soundcard on the market today?  May GUS owners
worldwide actually have been correct, and not just the victims of some 
strange mass hysteria, as Creative Labs would have one believe?  Can it, of   
all the possibilities, be that sound-gear giants, such as the Roland
corporation, are subject to market forces, in just the same way as smaller 
companies?

     Hey, I've been through it all.  I've played bass for a few years.  I've
been in and out of studios, and I've heard everyone's gear--within some
reason, that is.  And in this, I'm going to tell you purely straight and level
as I can.  Has anyone ever considered what we are talking about here?  The
UltraSound is a PC soundcard that can be had nearly everywhere for about
$100.00, add the DRAM to go to a full meg, and it's still hovering in the
$125.00 range.  
     
     Now listen here.  The gear-houses all send me their catalogs, which have 
some honest "can't be beat anywhere" prices.  I can walk into my axe shop or
my gear shop (the two stores where I do most of my business), approach my
friends and ask their cash price on an item.  And they will most often give
me a discount besides, on a good-buddy basis.  I have several NAMM books, I 
can call direct to all the gear companies and buy at huge discounts (Gravis
is one of the first names listed in about the last 3 NAMM books, by the way.)
However, none of this can get me a soundcard that will do what the GUS does,
and so very well.  The GUS puts out great sound, and acheives it with one
feature above all else:  It does so inexpensively.
     
     Buying a Roland SCC-1 for games is quite simply one of the silliest 
things of which I've ever heard.  Without a doubt, Roland's Sound Canvas line
is a wonderful pile of equipment, but they are not by any stretch of the 
imagination worth the added $200.00 bucks over the GUS.  Go get a copy of
"The 7th Guest" by Trilobyte/Virgin Games.  On the second disk there are 
tracks with most of the game's music recorded directly from an SCC-1. It
says "with...only a little signal processing."  That means that they added
some equalization, a little reverb/digital delay, maybe a filter or two.  
Those of us who have played "The 7th Guest" with the GUS alone know that the
game doesn't sound any better or worse than the SCC-1 recordings, merely 
different.  Different samples, of different instruments, played by different 
musicians, recorded in different studios.

     Contrary-wise, buying a GUS (or for that matter an SCC-1) for use in
a professional multitrack studio is equally pointless.  In such a situation
one *must* have the absolute best equipment that money can buy.

     Yes, I wholeheartedly agree that the biggest favor that Advanced Gravis 
could ever do for themselves is to make a concerted effort to replace some, 
if not all, of the current patch set.  The guitars and pianos in particular,
and some of the lead synths.  The drums need added work as well, such as the
two ride cymbals that bear no distinction from one another besides the fact 
that one is set to the left and the other to the right in the stereo field.
I feel that this would not only help sales, but greatly increase the level of
customer satisfaction.

     Regardless of this all, the UltraSound is enjoying more support than it
ever has before.  I remember when it was SBOS or nothing, and even then, it
was rarely.  Are we coming into our own, as GUS users?  Most definitely.

     And at the risk of delving into ecumenicism, I want to point out
something to the reader about our brethren, the PAS-16 users.  Don't flame the
PAS guys.  Well, don't flame them *too* actively, in any case.  More often
than not, a victory for the PAS-16 is also a victory for the GUS.  The PAS-16
is aimed for an entirely different market--I don't believe that there will
ever be true competition between the two cards (other than minor border
skirmishes).  At any rate, they are in the same boat as are we in terms of
lacking support for an obviously superior card.

     In summary, I must admit that I am all too happy with the UltraSound,  
to the extent that I am sadly dreading the day when another sound solution
is fielded that takes its place (never fear, one will--probably sooner than
we expect it).  There are many ways that it can be improved, that I think 
all can agree upon.  However, it serves its purpose--which is the highest 
praise one can really give a piece of hardware.  As the old saying goes, 
"Hey, it may not be best you can buy, but it won't blow your gig."  (Hey
Crown--Get a clue.)

     Keep the faith, USers.


ͻ
                       "The G-List"  --  Nick Tucker                        
ͼ

Original Author:  Marc J. Paulin
Kept alive by:  Nick Tucker

Everyone is invited to the #GUS channel on IRC!

Date revised: 05-01-94

You can find this list on America Online, most BBS's that support the Gravis
UltraSound, and on the the internet GUS sites in \submit\glist.zip.

=============================================================================
                    CONTENTS
=============================================================================

1.0 COMMENTS FROM THE AUTHOR
2.0 THE EMULATORS - WHERE TO GET THEM
3.0 NEWS AND UPDATES
4.0 SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY LIST
5.0 DEMOS LIST
6.0 PLAYERS/COMPOSERS LIST
7.0 MUSIC DISKS LIST
8.0 THE "NOT WORKING" LIST
9.0 HOW TO SUBMIT

=============================================================================
1.0                       COMMENTS FROM THE AUTHOR
=============================================================================

     While reading this list you will notice there are certain version
numbers attached to the specific emulator to use for a game.  As of
4-21-94, unless a specific version is necessary, the version numbers
are going to be taken off.  That way it is going to be just SBOS, MegaEM
or whatever, on most of the titles.

     This list was created to help GUS users to make a game work with this
wonderful soundcard from heaven.  It combines SBOS, MegaEM and Ultramid.  It
also contains a list of GUS supporting demos and programs that, whatever you
do, won't work with the GUS.

     Everything listed mostly comes from other GUSsers from Internet and does
not reflect my own experience.  But if you want to add anything, make
suggestions, report an error, etc, feel free to email me at
gravislist@aol.com or chat with me on IRC.  I'm very friendly. :)

    Although the list is mostly made of games, any other PC Compatible
software that uses the Gravis UltraSound/MAX are welcomed.

     Please, do not flame me for the mistakes I made on the text, I'm doing
my best to bring something to the GUS world.  If you see bad-spellings or
errors, just let me know and I'll correct them.  :)

=============================================================================
2.0                   THE EMULATORS - WHERE TO GET THEM
=============================================================================

     I'm using the word 'emulator' to talk about SBOS, MegaEM and Ultramid
although Ultramid is not considered an emulator by many people and MegaEM as a
half-emulator.

     All files can be found on the Gravis Ultrasound FTP site and its mirrors.
The addresses are:

FTP sites:           archive.epas.utoronto.ca   <<Main mother site>>
                 /pub/pc/ultrasound
    <<NOTE! Epas does not carry _all_ older GUS stuff anymore due to space
         problem.  It now holds uploads and files from the last validation
         process only.  However, the mirrors have all of the files.>>
               wuarchive.wustl.edu
                 /systems/msdos/ultrasound
               archive.orst.edu           <<Also mirrors submit>>
                 /pub/packages/gravis
               theoris.rz.uni-konstanz.de
                 /pub/sound/gus
    <<NOTE! theoris is for European users only as it is overloaded>>
               nctuccca.edu.tw
                 /PC/ultrasound

FTP mail server:     mail-server@nike.rz.uni-konstanz.de

     SBOS 3.8b2      = gravis/util/gus0039.zip
     SBOS 1.20       = gravis/patch/sbos120.zip
     Although SBOS 3.8 is the latest version, it has been reported many
times that, for some games only, SBOS 1.20 was doing a better SB DAC
emulation.

     ULTRAMID 1.08   = gravis/util/gus0040.zip
     MEGAEM 2.03     = gravis/util/gus0040.zip
NOTE: SBOS, UMID and MEGAEM are also in GUS0041.ZIP

     32bit AIL       = gravis/util/gail3214.zip

=============================================================================
3.0                          NEWS AND UPDATES
=============================================================================
Last post was: 04-21-94

***The following demos have been added to the list.

Show                        by  Majic 12
Charlie Manson is immortal  by  Ground Zero
Red                         by  Razor 1911
Ice Fever                   by  X-Pose
Ekztasy                     by  Zwilight Tone
Poor                        by  Majic 12
Cardiac                     by  Infinity

***These games have been updated on the list.

Amazon & Guardians of Eden was put together to make the 1 title it really is,
and moved to the 'Not Working' list since Access used extended DOS drivers
on it.

Xargon:  Beyond Reality   Changed from GUS Support to SBOS

***These games have been added to the list.

Gobins II             Coctail Vision   SBOS
Raptor                Apogee/Cygnus    GUS Support
Martian Memorandum    Access           MegaEM
Rise of the Dragon    Dynamix          MegaEM
Space Quest III       Sierra           MegaEM
Altered Destiny       Accolade         MegaEM

***These players/composers have been added...

Scream-Tracker 3.01b    by  Future Crew
Extended Mikmod         by  Harcode'94
DMP 2.89                by  Otto Chrons
Inertia Player 1.1      by  Excalibur and Prime

***These musicdisks have been added...(experimental section)

Digital Psychosis  by  Psychic Monks
Drums & Pipes      by  Suprise!
Journey 1          by  Purple Motion (FC)
Journey 2          by  Purple Motion (FC)
Chaotic mind       by  Skaven (FC)


=============================================================================
4.0                     SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY LIST
=============================================================================

     This is a list of currently released softwares and the suggested
emulator for the best music/playability combination.  This list is based upon
suggestions I received via email on Internet and does not reflect my
personal opinion.  This list is kept alive to help users in what is best
for a specific program and to let them know that specific game worked for
others.

     If you know a product that works with an existing GUS emulator and is
not shown on this list, you are kindly invited to submit it to me.  Or if a
program sounds better under a new emulation (i.e. new MegaEM version),
please share your thoughts and experience on this list.

     With some titles, you will find a little comment on what you have to do
first to make the program work with the emulator, suggested switch to make
the software sound better with the emulator, or if the product will only give
you half of the emulation (i.e. MegaEM gives music only).

Legend: (D) = Will work with digital sounds only, no music.
        (M) = Will work with music only, no digital sounds.

    GAME TITLE             COMPANY                 RECOMMENDED EMULATOR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th Guest, The             Virgin/Trilobytes         Ultramid 1.05
Aces Over Europe           Dynamix                   SBOS 3.7B2
Alien Breed                Team 17                   MegaEM 2.00B023
  (run SBCOMP.EXE before the game to avoid locks)
Altered Destiny            Accolade                  MegaEM
Animal Quest               Alive Software            Ultramid 1.05
Archon Ultra               FreeFall Associates/SSI   GUS Support
ATC/Tracon                 Wesson International      Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Battle Chess 4000          Interplay                 Ultramid 1.05
Battle Cruiser 3000AD      Three-Sixty Pacific       Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Battle Isle ][              ???                      Ultramid 1.08
Betrayal at Krondor        Dynamix                   MegaEM
Beyond Shadowgate          ICOM Simulations          Ultramid 1.05
Bilou                      Concepteva                Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Bloodnet                   Microprose                MegaEM 2.00B023
BodyLink                   Stragem                   Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Brutal Sports Series
     Football              Millenium Software        SBOS 3.8b2
Buzz Aldrin's Race
     To Space              Interplay                 Ultramid 0.96
  (The Myles drivers are SDRV*.BIN)
Campain ][                 Empire                    MegaEM 2.02
  (Music *or* Digital only.  No options for two soundcards)
Carrier Strike             SSI                       Ultramid 0.97
Castle Of Dr. Brain        Sierra On-Line            MegaEM 2.03
Chess Master 3000          Software Toolworks        Ultramid 1.00 (D)
Chess Maniac 5,000,001     Spectrum Holobyte         Ultramid 1.05
Chuck Yeager's Air Combat  Electronic Arts           SBOS 2.08
  (Original retail version)
Chuck Yeager's Air Combat  Electronic Arts           GUS Support
  (Special GUS Edition)
Civilization               Microprose                MegaEM 2.00B023
Clouds Of Xeen             New World Computing Inc.  MegaEM 2.00B023
Coaster                    Disney Software           SBOS 3.8b2
Commanche Maximum Overkill NovaLogic                 SBOS 3.8b2
Command Adventure:Starship Merit Software            Ultramid 1.06
Commander Keen 4           Id Software               SBOS 3.8b2
Contraption Zack           Presage Software Co. Inc. Ultramid 1.05
Creepers                   Destiny Software          Ultramid 1.05
Cribbage Master            Ninga                     Ultramid 1.05 (D)
CyberRace                  CyberDreams               SBOS 2.0B08
CyberStrike                Simutronics               Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Darkside of Xeen           New World Computing Inc.  MegaEM 2.00B023
Darksun                    SSI                       GUS Support
Day Of The Tentacle        Lucas Art                 MegaEM 2.00B023
  (-f22 recommended)
Dinosaur Adventure         Knowledge Adventure       Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Discoveries In The Deep     ???                      MegaEM 2.00B023
DNA Parrot                 T&T Research              Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Doom                       Id Software               GUS Support
Dracula Unleashed          Viacom                    MegaEM 2.00B023 (M)
Dune ][                    Westwood/Virgin           Ultramid 1.05
  (Use the Dune ][ AIL patch found on GUS sites)
  (-c and -m100 switches are highly recommended)
Dungeon Hack               SSI/Dreamforge            MegaEM 2.00B023
  (Run MegaEM with /RIRQ2 _before_ selecting
   the sound and to run the game)
Earl Weaver Baseball ][     ???                      MegaEM 2.00B023 (M)
EcoQuest                   Sierra On-Line            Sierra Drivers
EcoQuest ][                Sierra On-Line            Sierra Drivers
Elder Scroll: Arena        Bethesda Softworks        GUS Support
Entity                     Loriciel                  SBOS 3.8b2
Eye Of The Beholder III    SSI                       MegaEM 2.00B023
F-15 Strike Eagle          Microprose                MegaEM 2.02
Falcon 3.0                 Spectrum Holobyte         SBOS 3.7B2
Fantasy Empires            SSI Inc.                  32bit AIL 1.4
FlashBack                  SSI Inc.                  MegaEM 2.03
Flight Simulator IV        Microsoft                 MegaEM 2.00B023
Flight Simulator V         Microsoft                 SBOS 3.7B2
Freddy Pharkas             Sierra On-Line            Sierra Drivers
Front Page Sport Football  Dynamix                   MegaEM 2.00B023
  (You can select General Midi **or** Sound Blaster, not both)
Frontier: Elite 2           ???                      MegaEM 2.00B023
Fun Univ Ntwk Intfc        Fun Univ Ntwk             Ultramid 1.05
Gateway To The Savage
     Frontier              SSI                       SBOS 2.08
GateWorld Triology         Home Brew Software        Ultramid 0.96 (M)
GemStone ]I[               Simutronics               Ultramid (D)
Global Domination          Impressions               Ultramid 1.05
Gobliiins II               Cocktail Vision           SBOS
Gobliiins ]I[              Cocktail Vision           SBOS 2.0B10
Gods                       Bitmap Brothers           MegaEM 2.00B023
Grandmaster Chess          IntraCorp                 Ultramid 1.05
Great Naval Battles        SSI                       Ultramid 0.97
Guzzle Puzzles             Redwood Games             Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Halloween Harry            Apogee/Sub Zero           MegaEM 2.00B023
Hand Of Fate               Westwood                  MegaEM 2.00B023
Hardball III               Accolade                  MegaEM 2.00B023
Harpoon v1.2               Three-Sixty Pacific       SBOS 2.08
High Command               Three-Sixty Pacific       SBOS 2.08
Hong Kong Mahjong Pro      Nine Dragons Software     Ultramid 0.97
Horde, The                 Crystal Dynamics          GUS Support
Incredible Machine, The    Dynamix                   SBOS 3.7B2
Incredible Toons           Sierra On-Line            MegaEM 2.00B023
IndyCar Racing 1.0/1.02    Papyrus                   SBOS 2.08
  (use -o3 to avoids lockups.  Sound is incomplete compared to real SB)
Ishar ][                   Silmarils                   SBOS 2.0B10
Island Of Dr. Brain        Sierra On-Line            Sierra Drivers
Indiana Jones (Fate of Atlantis)  ??                 MegaEM
Inspector Gadget           Azeroth Publishing        Ultramid 1.05
Jim Power                  Loriciel                  SBOS 2.0B8
Jordan In Flight           Electronic Arts           MegaEM 2.03
Journeyman Project         Presto Studio             *Native in Windows*
  (Reported not to work well with Norton Desktop 4 Win, PCTools 4 Win,
   DoubleSpace, Stacker, QEMM, and ATI, STB or Orchid video cards).
Jurassic Park              Ocean                     MegaEM 2.03
Keef The Thief             Electronic Arts           MegaEM 2.03
KidDesk                    Edmark Corporation        Ultramid 1.05 (D)
KidPix                     Broderbund                SBOS 3.7B2
  (Use -o1 switch)
King Maker                 V.S. Gold                 MegaEM 2.02 (M)
King's Quest V (Disk)      Sierra On-Line            Sierra Drivers
King's Quest V (CD-ROM)    Sierra On-Line            MegaEM 2.00B023
King's Quest VI            Sierra On-Line            Sierra Drivers
  (Works under Windows, but load patches with Patch Manager first)
Lands Of Lore              Westwood                  MegaEM 2.00B023
  (With the update for multiple soundcards selection.  Can be found
   on any GUS sites - lolsound.zip.)
Laura Bow ][ (Amon Ra)     Sierra On-Line            MegaEM 2.00B023
Layout For DOS             Objects Inc.              Ultramid 1.05
Legend Of Kyrandia         Westwood                  MegaEM 2.00B023 (M)
  (Better result if sound is disabled. Not applicable for CD-ROM version)
Legend Of Kyrandia ][      Westwood                  MegaEM 2.00B023
Lemmings                   Psygnosis                 SBOS 3.8b2
Leisure Suit Larry I (VGA) Sierra On-Line            MegaEM 2.00B023
Leisure Suit Larry V       Sierra On-Line            MegaEM 2.03
  (You might need the -fast switch with EMUSET)
Leisure Suit Larry VI      Sierra On-Line            GUS Support
  (Run GUSDRV.EXE to uncompress drivers. Run ULTRAMID.EXE and then select
   Gravis Ultrasound in the INSTALL.EXE program)
Links 386 Pro              Access Software           SBOS 3.08b
  (Use switch -x2 and run Links with -s)
Lost Vikings, The          Interplay                 MegaEM 2.00B023 (M)
Magic Crayon               Alive Software            Ultramid 1.05
Mario Teaches Typing       Interplay                 Ultramid 1.05
Martin Memorandum          Access Software           MegaEM
Marvin The Moose           Milliken Publishing       Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Master Of Orion            Microprose                Ultramid 1.06
  (use MOO_GUS.ZIP found on the GUS sites)
Math Sequences             Milliken Publishing       Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Math Zone                  Milliken Publishing       Ultramid 1.05 (D)
MechWarrior ][             Activision                Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Merchant Prince            QQP                       MegaEM 2.00B023
  (Does not work with MegaEM 2.01.  Don't know about MegaEM 2.02)
Mickey's Colors & Shapes   Disney Software           MegaEM 2.02
MicroLeague Cards          MicroLeague Sports Assoc. Ultramid 1.05 (D)
MicroLeague Baseball IV    MicroLeague Sports Assoc. Ultramid 1.05
MicroLeague Football ][    MicroLeague Sports Assoc. Ultramid 1.05
Microsoft Dinosaur         Microsof                  Native in Windows
Millie's Math House        Edmark Corporation        Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Milliken Story Teller      Milliken Publishing       Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Monopoly Deluxe            Virgin Games              Ultramid 1.05
  (Edit MONOPOLY.BAT and put DIGI=GF1DIGI.ADV MIDI=GF1MIDI.ADV SCORE=1)
Mortal Kombat              Midway                    SBOS 3.7B2
Mutanoid Math Challenge    Legacy Software           Ultramid 1.05
Mutanoid Word Challenge    Legacy Software           Ultramid 1.05
My Paint                   Saddleback Graphics       Ultramid 1.05 (D)
NFL Challenge              XOR Corporation           Ultramid 1.05 (D)
NHL Hockey                 Electronic Arts           SBOS 3.7B2 (M)
OilsWell                   Sierra On-Line            MegaEM 2.03
Operation Combat ][        Merit Software            SBOS 2.0B10 (D)
Oregon Trail Deluxe        MECC                      Ultramid 1.05
Pickle Wars                Redwood Games             Ultramid 1.05
Pinball                    Epic                      GUS Support
Pinball Fantasies          Team 17                   GUS Support
Places To Play             Magnetic Images           Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Ponctueur, Le              C.R.A.P.O. Inc            Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Pools Of Darkness          SSI                       Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Prehistorik ][             Titus                     MegaEM 2.00B023
Premier Manager ][         Gremlin                   MegaEM 2.02 (M)
Prince OF Persia I (1.3)   Broderbund                MegaEM 2.00B023
Prince Of Persia II        Broderbund                MegaEM 2.00B023
(Put your SB IRQ at 5 and run MegaEM with /SBI5 to have digital sound)
Privateer                  Origin                    SBOS 2.0B10
  (Use AILPATCH.ZIP or it won't work at all)
Prophecy Of The Shadow     SSI                       MegaEM 2.00B023
PuttPutt Joins Parade      Humongous Entertainment   Ultramid 1.05
Quest For Glory I (VGA)    Sierra On-Line            MegaEM 2.00B023
Quest For Glory III        Sierra On-Line            Sierra Drivers
Ragarok (Valhalla)         Norsehelm Productions     Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Railroad Tycoon (Original) Microprose                SBOS 2.08
Raptor                     Apogee / Cygnus           GUS Support
RavenLoft                  SSI Inc.                  32bit AIL
Realms Of Avarton          Kram                      Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Rebel Assault (CD-ROM)     Lucas Art                 GUS Support
Red Crystal "The 7 secrets
  of life"                 QQP                       MegaEM 2.02
  (Load MegaEM _before_ going into the config)
Return To Zork             Infocom                   GUS Support
  (To avoid "divide by zero" error, answer "no" during installation
   whether or not you wish to load the driver into upper memory)
Ring World                 Tsunami                   MegaEM 2.00B023
Rise of the Dragon         Dynamix                   MegaEM
Risky Woods                Electronic Arts           MegaEM 2.00B023
Romance Of The Three
  Kingdom ]I[              KOEI                      SBOS 3.8b2
Rules Of Engagement ][     Bethesda Softworks        Ultramid 0.97
Sam And Max Hit The Road   Lucas Art                 MegaEM 2.00B023
  (Use "Advanced Soundcard Install" to select soundcards)
Seal Team                  Electronic Arts           Ultramid 1.05
ShadowCaster               Origin                    32 bit AIL
  (Use PATSHAD32.ZIP found on GUS sites)
Shadow President           DC True                   Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Sherlock Holmes (CD-ROM)   Icom                      MegaEM 2.00B023
Sights & Sounds            MacMillan/McGraw Hill     Ultramid 1.05 (D)
SilverBall                 Epic                      GUS Support
SimCity 2000               Maxis                     32 bit AIL
SimCity Classic            Maxis                     Ultramid 1.07
SimFarm                    Maxis                     MegaEM 2.00B023
Simon The Sorcerer          ???                      MegaEM 2.00B023 (M)
Slater & Charlie            ???                      MegaEM 2.00B023
Solitaire's Journey        Quantum Quality Products  Ultramid 0.97 (M)
Space Adventure            Knowledge Adventure       Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Space Chase I, ][, ]I[     Safari Software           Ultramid 1.05 (M)
Space Ho PC                Prestage Software Co.     Ultramid 1.05
Space Hulk                 Electronic Arts           Ultramid 0.97 (M)
  (copy GF1MIDI.ADV over MIDI.ADV in HULK\DRV_DIR and use SoundBlaster)
Space Quest III            Sierra On-Line            MegaEM
Space Quest V              Sierra On-Line            Sierra Drivers
Speed Racer                Activision                SBOS 3.8
  (MSDOS 5.0 without EMM386)
Spell Caster 2000           ???                      Ultramid 1.05
StarControl ][             Accolade                  GUS Support
StarTrek: 25th Aniversary  Interplay                 MegaEM 2.03
  (works for disks and CD-ROM version.  "EMUSET -F22 -M14 -MT" recommended).
StarTrek: Judgement Rites  Interplay                 MegaEM 2.01
Stepping Stones Bonus      Compu-Teach Inc           Ultramid 1.05
Stickybear Townbuilder     Optimum Resource          Ultramid 1.05 (D)
Strike Commander
    Tactical Operations I  Origin                    MegaEM 2.00B023 (M)
Strong Hold                SSI                       MegaEM 2.00B023
Stunt                      Spectrum Holobyte         SBOS 3.8b2
Stunt Island               Disney                    MegaEM 2.00B023
Switch Progressions        Cooper, R.J. & Assoc.     Ultramid 1.05
Switch Quik                Cooper, R.J. & Assoc.     Ultramid 1.05
Syndicate                  BullFrog Productions      32bit AIL 1.4
T-Zero                     Dennis Cunningham         Ultramid 1.05
Teddy Bear's Big Day       Interactive Software      MegaEM 2.02 (D)
Terminator 2029            Bethesda Softworks        Ultramid 0.97
Terminator Rampage         Bethesda Softworks        GUS Support
Test Drive III             Accolade                  MegaEM
Tom Landry Football        Merit Software            Ultramid 1.05
Tony Larussa Baseball ][   SSI                       Ultramid 1.05
Treehouse                  Broderbund                SBOS 3.7b
  (Use -o1 switch)
Trump Castle ]I[            ???                      Ultramid 0.97
Ultima 7                   Origin                    SBOS 2.0B10
  (Use U7GUS.ZIP to patch the ADV drivers and prevent lock-ups)
Ultima 8 : Pagan           Origin                    U8 Drivers (M)
  (The file is U8GUS.ZIP or U8GUS2.ZIP)
Ultima Underworld I        Origin                    Ultramid 1.05
Ultima Underworld ][       Origin                    MegaEM 2.00B023
  (Look for DD*.ADV [digital] and DM*.ADV [midi])
Unnecessary Roughness      Accolade                  SBOS 3.7b
Veil Of Darkness           SSI                       MegaEM 2.00B023
VGA Jigsaw                 Alive Software            Ultramid 1.05 (D)
VGA Mah Jongg 3.1           ???  (Shareware)         MegaEM 2.00B023
  (Command line: MJVGA R for Roland MT-32 music)
Warlords II                SSG                       Ultramid 1.06a
Waterford Mental Math      Waterford Institute       Ultramid 1.05
Wayne Gretszky Hockey ]I[  Bethesda Softworks        Ultramid 1.00
  (The game dies after 2-3 minutes.  Anybody got a fix?)
Weel Of Fortune            Gametek                   Ultramid 1.05
When Two Worlds War        Impressives Software      MegaEM 2.00B023
Where in the World is
   Carmen SanDiego         Broderbund                MegaEM 2.00B023
Wing Commander ][          Origin FX                 MegaEM 2.03 -mt
  (load MegaEM before running INSTALL.EXE from the floppies)
Winter Challenge           Accolade                  MegaEM 2.00B023
Winter Olympiade 94:
  Lillhammer               U.S. Gold                 MegaEM 2.02
Wizard                     Psygnosis                 SBOS 3.8b2
World Atlas                The Software Toolworks    Ultramid 1.05
World Circuit              World Circuit             SBOS 2.08
  (MegaEM does better music, but you lose the engine noise)
World of Xeen (CD)         New World Computing       MegaEM
Xargon 1: Beyond Reality   Epic Megagames            SBOS 3.81
X-Wing Fighter             Lucas Art                 MegaEM 2.00B023
  (To remove pauses, do not use QEMM in Stealth mode.  Recommended to use
   EMM386.EXE from MSDOS 5.0 or the one provided with Windows)
Zone 66                    Epic MegaGames            GUS Support

===========================================================================
5.0                            DEMOS LIST
===========================================================================

     This is a list of demos that supports the GUS.  It is incomplete
and I ask everyone to help me updating it.  The list is just starting.

     DEMO TITLE                DEMO GROUP                    FILENAME
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd Phobia                        Noice                      2PHOBIA.ARJ
Assembly '93 Invitation Intro     Future Crew                ASM-93.ZIP
Assembly '94 Invitation Intro     Future Crew / Sonic PC     ASM-94.ZIP
Cardiac                           Infinity                   CARDIAC.ZIP
Charlie Manson is immortal        Ground Zero                TFA-MAN.ZIP
Crystal Dream  ][                 Triton                     CDII.ZIP
Cyboman                           Gazebo                     CYBOMAN.ZIP
Daretro                           Daredevil/Renaissance      DARETRO.ZIP
Debut - CDROM Edition             Darkzone                   DZDEBCDE.ZIP
Dentro                            Majic 12                   POOR_M12.ZIP
Diftro                            Digital Infinity           DIFTRO.ZIP
Diftro ][                         Digital Infinity           DIFTRO2.ZIP
Elements                          Xography                   ELEMENTS.ZIP
Ekztasy                           Zwilight Tone              ZTROUND.ZIP
Fudged Insanity                   Razor 1911                 FUDGE.ZIP
Good, Bad, & Ugly                 S!P                        GBU_SP.ZIP
Hacker                            Digital Dreams             DDHACKER.ZIP
Hell                              Tran                       HELL.ZIP
HexAppeal                         Cascada                    APPEAL.ZIP or
                                                             CDS_HEX.ZIP
Meetro                            Remedy & Diffusion         R_MEETRO.ARJ
MegaDemo ][                       Bizar                      BIZAR.ARJ
Ice Fever                         X-Pose                     ICEFEVER.ZIP
Inconexia                         Iguana
Jungly Kitchen, The               Twilight Zone              TZYJUNG.ZIP
Motion                            Avalanche                  MOTION2.ZIP
Party ]I[ Invitation, The         Access Denied              ADPARTY.ZIP
Party '93 Slideshow               Xography                   XGY-PR93.ZIP
Plan B                            Sonic PC                   PLAN-B!.ZIP
Poor                              Majic 12                   POOR_M12.ZIP
Portal                            ???                        PORTAL.ZIP
Red                               Razor 1911                 RZR-RED.ZIP
Second Reality                    Future Crew
  (Install in a directory path no longer than 20 characters or it will hang)
Show                              Majic 12                   SHOW_M12.ZIP
                                   and/or                    SHOW-FIX.ZIP
Symbology                         Admire                     AMR_SYMB.ARJ
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly    Surprise! Productions      S!P_GBU.ARJ
Timeless                          Tran                       TIMELESS.ZIP
Unreal 1.1                        Future Crew                UNREAL11.ZIP
Untitled                          Dust                       DUST_UNT.ZIP

===========================================================================
6.0                       PLAYERS/COMPOSERS LIST
===========================================================================

     This section is a list of music file composers of any type that
support the Gravis Ultrasound.  Players of any type are also welcomed to
this list.
     Legend of type:  C = Composer
                P = Player

TITLE                            AUTHOR                  FILENAME     Type
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dual Module Player 2.89          Otto Chrons             DMP289.ZIP     P
  (MOD<4><6><8>, STM, S3M, 669, FAR, MTM, AMF, NST)
Extended Mikmod                  Rao / HardCode          XMM111.ZIP     P
  (4/6/8 MOD, all protrack effects)
Farandole Composer               Digital Infinity        FAR093AD.???  CP
  (FAR, 669, MOD)
GLX                              Trial                   GLX130B.ZIP    P
  (MOD, 669, S3M)
GUS MOD 2.11                     CyberStrike             ???            P
  (MOD<4>)
Inertia Player 1.1               Prime & Excalibur       iplay11.zip    P
  (MOD, 669, S3M, STM, MTM, PSM, WOW formats)
Metal Tracker v0.02b3            Synapse & Wildcat       METAL023.ZIP   P
  (MOD<4><6><8>, 669)
Multi Tracker                    StarScream - Renaissance MMED101B.ZIP CP
Music Disk Player v1.0           Future Crew             ???
ProTracker For GUS               Phatom/Epical           PT4GUS06.ARJ  CP
  (MOD)
ScreamTracker 3.01B              PSI/Future Crew         SCRMT301.ZIP  C
   (S3M, STM, 4/6/8 MOD, 669, OKT, STM, etc)
SoundBlaster Studio              Hellstroem Prod.        ???           CP
TakeTracker 0.7b7                Dr. Zon/X-Pose          TT077GUS.ZIP   P
UltraTracker v1.5                Mysterious/MAS          ULTRA150.ZIP  CP
  (ULT, MOD<4><6><8><16>, FAR, MTM, 669)
WOW ][                           Jan Ole Suhr            WOWII230.ARJ   P
  (MOD<4>)
ZZPlay 1.0                       Zwerg Zwack/Pentagon    ZZPLAY10.LZH   P
  (MOD<4><6><8>)

===========================================================================
7.0                          MUSICDISKS LIST
===========================================================================
(need for this section is unknown, so we are testing the ground here)

DISC TITLE                        AUTHOR                           FILENAME
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chaotic Mind                      Skaven                           ?
Digital Psychosis                 The Psychic Monks                ?
Drums & Pipes                     Suprise!                         ?
Journey 1                         Purple Motion / FC               ?
Journey 2                         Purple Motion / FC               ?

===========================================================================
8.0                       THE "NOT WORKING" LIST
===========================================================================

     You tried everythig, it just doesn't work.  SBOS, MegaEM, Ultramid,
name them.  None of them works.  This is the place to put those "stay away"
programs to warn GUS users about them.

    GAME TITLE                                COMPANY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beneth a Steel Sky                            Virgin
Gabriel Knight: Sins Of The Father            Sierra On-Line
Mickey's ABC                                  Disney Software
Quest For Glory IV                            Sierra On-Line
Police Quest IV                               Sierra On-Line

NOTE: Gravis and Sierra are working on GUS 32bit drivers so these three games
      are not here for long...  But the Sierra games work 100% under windows.

===========================================================================
9.0                            HOW TO SUBMIT
===========================================================================

     For any additions to the list, please give me the following information
regarding the program.

---***SOFTWARE SUBMISSION***---
SOFTWARE TITLE: Title of the program.
COMPANY: Name of the company who produced the software or distribute it.
EMULATOR NAME: Name of the emulator used with that software.
VERSION OF EMULATOR: Only put this if a SPECIFIC version is required.
SPECIAL PROCEDURES: Only if necessary.  Use this field to tell the user if
              he/she will have special things to do before having the
              emulator to work with the program.  See examples on the
              actual list.

---***DEMO SUBMISSION***---
DEMO TITLE: Name of the demo.
DEMO GROUP: Name of the group who created the demo.
FILENAME: Filename of the demo as originally released by the demo group.
       If the demo is fragmented into multiple files, please give the
       filename of each file.

---***COMPOSER/PLAYER SUBMISSION***---
TITLE: Name of the composer/player.
AUTHOR: Name of the person(s) or group who created the program.
FILENAME: (if possible) the filename as found on Internet.  Very useful.
comment: When you submit a player or a composer, please tell all the file
      formats it can play/compose and if there are any known flaws.

---***MUSICDISK SUBMISSION***---
DISK TITLE: Name of the disk.
GROUP/AUTHOR: Name of the author.
FILENAME:  Filename of the disk as origingally released by the author.
        Give multiple filenames if needbe.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

     A special thanks to all those who contributed to this list.  You
are too many to be named, but you know who you are. :)  Cheers!
     This list could not be as big as it is without your support and
suggestions.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Nick W. Tucker - Commander Data (Usenet) - cmdrdata (IRC)
      (cmdrdata@clt.fx.net)           America Online:  PCC Nick
         G-LIST Submissions  ------>  gravislist@aol.com
        HQ BBS   ComStar Telecommunications  (704) 541-0692
        12 Lines, over 16 Gigs of files, 18 CD-Roms online.


ͻ
   The UltraSound Source    --    Articles    --      Friday, May 6, 1994   
ͼ

     These articles were written and already contributed by some of our
talented--and ever-growing--staff at the time of distribution.  The amount
of lead-in time was such that many of the writers were unable to complete
an article for this issue, and will begin submission for the issue of June
1st.  We sincerely thank the effort of all involved.

     Dave Redfern is the SysOp of one of the finest UltraSound bulletin
board systems in the U.S.  He, along with Adam Rosenburg, serve as the
representatives of Advanced Gravis on the Prodigy online service.  Dave's
BBS, The UltraSound Connection, has nearly every GUS related file one
can imagine, and over 1.4 gigabytes of space in which to store them.

     NutCracker is the organizer and a coder with the Immortal Syndicate
PC demo group.  Immortal Syndicate's World Head Quarters BBS is the
Pentium BBS at (604) 533-3720.  The Pentium BBS also has an extremely wide
variety of PC demos and music files to offer, as well as a large number of
utilities.  

     Luigi Smythe, also known as "Scaramouche", is a gifted digital composer
who works primarily in the Modula format.  'Mouche's latest composition is
entitled "Tea Cooler" and can be found on America Online, The Pentium BBS, and
The UltraSound Connection.


ͻ
                    "The Redfern Report"  --  Dave Redfern                  
ͼ

     "It was the best of times..it was the worst of times..."  I guess that
could sum up my first experience with the UltraSound.  But lets go back a few
months to when it all started.

     I was in the market for a new soundcard and, as a long-time Prodigy user,
was aware of the Midi/Computer Audio Forum.  I had stopped in once before
while trying to get a SoundBlaster (Creative Labs, Inc.) to work on my system
(It never did, but thats another story).  Starting from the top, I worked my
way down thru the Topics and soon was reading one called "Advanced Gravis".
The name was familar and I started reading through the notes.  People were
discussing this new, "soon-to-be-released" soundcard called the UltraSound
with the latest technology called "Wavetable Synthesis".  OK, I didn't have a
clue what this was, but that didn't stop me from reading.  These people were
excited and I wanted to know why.  I 'lurked' for a month or two while the
release date kept getting pushed back. Nerves were getting frayed. Patience
was quickly running out. Gravis had been promising this new SoundCard for
months and still it hadn't been released. I wasn't in a hurry.  Finally, Adam
(Rosenberg) got his Beta of the UltraSound and now we started hearing how
"awesome" it was.  "Unbelievable" and "blows FM out of the water".  "Better
than s.x!"  OK, OK, maybe not, but I WAS interested!  Again we waited for the
release and then it happened.  Gravis was shipping!

     By this time, we had had people come and go on the BBS.  "Tired of wait-
ing."  "Can't be THAT good!"  "I'm buying a SB".  Well, patience has its re-
wards, right?  I kept a vigilant search at the MALL for the first GUS to
arrive.  Then, there it was.  Only $169 at Electronics Boutique.  Well, I had
to try it and there WAS room on the Visa card.  Oh, heck!  I'd been waiting
for this long enough!  I bought it.

     "It was the worst of times"

     I installed the GUS, in-stalled the Software, corrected the conflicts
with my system and heard "Lets Configure Your UltraSound!"  Hey, that sounds
pretty good!  Lets see now, just load SBOS and select SB in the setup.  I
can do that!  Well, doing it and having it work turned out to be two entirely
different things.  Early SBOS was a mixed bag.  It worked or didn't work
depending on the Phase of the Moon (Well, it sure seemed that way).
Suddenly, the BBS was flooded with questions, complaints, and MORE questions.
I spent a week playing with my GUS and finally called it quits.  Back it
went to EB.

     End of Story??  Not by a long shot.  I was still reading the messages on
the BBS and it was working for others, so "fool that I am" I bought another
GUS.  This time I paid $125 and it couldn't be returned.  I decided to take it
slow.  I read the instructions carefully, installed the card, tested every-
thing, and went on to SBOS.  I was better equipped--knowledge wise--than last
time, and tried a few switches.  It worked!!!  It sounded "Great".  Now to try
all those games I could never appreciate with my old Soundcard (Adlib).

     I quickly found that just because one game worked that didn't mean they'd
ALL work! Elation was quickly turning to frustration again. Time to slow down
again and figure things out.....Hmm...Sometimes an IRQ of 5 works and other
times it doesn't. We were quickly realizing that software is NOT consistant.
Apparently software developers like to play cruel jokes and "lock in" an
IRQ of 7 (or whatever) just to confuse us. We were 'ripe' for confusion. If a
game didn't work, SBOS was immediately blamed. Must be SBOS! Had to be! What
else could it be? ME!! No.....couldn't be! Well, actually it could. We were
making mistakes..stupid mistakes and blaming them on SBOS. It was just too
new and no one was an expert! No one had the answers..Yet! Slowly we were
learning how to cope with this beast! Make no mistake, thats exactly what it
was. Anything that keeps me lying awake in bed at night is most certainly a
beast!

     "It was the best of times"

     One by one I was getting my games to work either through my own
perseverence or with help from another user on Prodigy. We were making
headway, solving problems and strangely enough, having fun. OK, maybe fun
isn't it exactly, but talk to anyone who went thru it and you'll find they had
a definite enjoyable learning experience. Sue Lane is a case in point (you're
allowed to blush Sue)<G>. Sue bought a GUS and almost immediately started
having problems and asking questions. Luckily we knew most of the answers
since we had already been thru it. Thats only half of it though. Someone says
"Do this!" and you still have to do it. Not always as easy as it sounds. Sue
took the time to work with her GUS and get comfortable with it. Trying each
new "fix" we suggested to her. When the smoke cleared, her GUS was working and
although she credits us, I credit her! Sue learned a great deal about her
computer by taking the time to learn about her GUS. I think we all learned a
great deal.

    The UltraSound Connection!

    Sure it looks like a plug for my BBS and it probably is, but if I write
about the GUS, I have to include my BBS. "Why", he asks? "Well, just because"
he replied. It was January of 1993 and I'd had my GUS for a few months now.
My settings were locked in and working on most everything. What didn't work
usually wasn't worth running anyway. I was still on Prodigy fielding GUS
questions along with Adam, Robert, Wayne, Hadden and others too numerous to
mention (An excuse for old age because I can't remember the names <G>). Ahh..
we were a motley crew. Gently jumping on anyone who dared to pick on our
chosen Soundcard. Backs to the wall, fighting for our lives and the well
being of the UltraSound...... But I digress, I'll get back to this part later.

     Yes it was January of '93' and we'd been struggling to keep up with the
latest SBOS releases filtering down from Gravis. While they were associated
with a local BBS in Canada, it was next to impossible to get thru to it and
when I did, I seldom got connected and their system froze. Again I was getting
frustrated as were others on Prodigy. What to do?? I knew nothing about
running a BBS but I knew I had a HOST program in Qmodem. I could set it up to
allow others to connect and get files and that was about it. There was no name
initially, just a 'quick and dirty' system. Time consuming to me and no
features. I DID have UltraSound files though and more started arriving daily.
I no sooner got the system working and mentioned it on Prodigy than I started
getting calls. I recall getting 2 or 3 the first night. I had about 15
UltraSound related files. This would all change over the next year, but I'll
leave that for another time.

     "We'll be shipping it this Friday!"

     This is known as the "Great Battle Cry" from Gravis. I'm referring of
course to the Software Upgrade and Midi Patches we'd been promised when we
bought our UltraSounds. It was approaching the summer of "93" and the upgrade
was nowhere in sight. Numerous "Fridays" had come and gone and shipping dates
were falling by the wayside. Problem after problem seemed to be plaguing
Gravis. Software bugs, Newer SBOS's, etc. Gravis wanted to ship a 'definitive'
software upgrade as a final gesture to all GUS owners. This was the software
that was going to make us all present GUS owners happy and non-owners rush
out to buy an UltraSound. Did it work out that way? Well, yes and no!

   Now that the software was finished and ready to go, all we had to do was
get it. Gravis decided to ship 4th Class US Mail. (Can't say I blame them
considering cost of postage.) One by one we got reports of GUS owners
receiving their software. More often than not, we heard from owners who were
wondering where THEIR software was. It took weeks for all the software to
reach Registered Owners. Note the word Registered. Over this span of time,
Gravis had moved and a number of people who sent their Reg. cards in, never
got into Gravis' Database. Then there were those who didn't remember if they
sent them in. Also those who were hanging onto them for posterity. It took
months to sort it all out. I haven't even mentioned the snafu where the
Canadian Shipment went to the USA and then got held up in Customs trying
to get back into Canada. Very little was going smoothly for Gravis at this
point. Luckily the software worked and worked quite well.


     The 2.06 software was a big improvement over what we had been using.
Windows now worked much better. Installation was definitely simpler and even
SBOS was behaving better. We had a lot of 'Happy Campers' and the number of
problems were quickly diminishing. So the software was perfect, right? Well,
not exactly. There's lots more to tell but you'll have to wait. Hopefully
I'll be able to cover more in the next issue!

Dave Redfern
The UltraSound Connection BBS
Crystal Beach, FL
(813) 787-8644


ͻ
           "The Demo Scene"  --  NutCracker of Immortal Syndicate           
ͼ

Hey everyone, this is my first article for The UltraSound Source magazine,
and it is going to talk about the UltraSound card in the demo scene.  For
all of you who don't know what the demo scene is then, stay tuned and
I'll tell you more.  But first of all I'd just like to mention that I
contacted the author and starting soon in all future issues of The
UltraSound Source, we will have a graphical user interface (GUI) to work
around in, with mouse support and GUS music!  So I hope you are looking
forward to that, as much as I am to coding it for this great maggy.

The demo scene is an area of computers which originally started on the
Amiga.  The PC is now taking over and has become a lot more popular
but the Amiga is still there.  A "demo" is short for "demonstration" which
I am sure you have all seen, but the type of demo I am talking about is
not one for a game or some product, it is in simple terms a demonstration
of itself.  A demo coders job is to push the limits of the PC.  Demo groups
are usually formed of a couple of artists, programmers (coders) and
musicians.  The best demo group in the world currently, is unfortunately
not mine, :( but it is a very well known group located in the lapland
(Finland) called the Future Crew.  Future Crew has released many great
demos since 1990, and their latest release is always better then before.
For demo freaks who haven't seen "Second Reality" by FC yet, then I
suggest you check it out...

Before I start I'd also like to mention that my PC-Demo group (the Immortal
Syndicate) has not yet released a demo with GUS support due to the fact that
we have not completed our music system yet.  Our next release (August) will
include support for the UltraSound!

Now onto the main part of my article, "The UltraSound in the Demo scene."
The UltraSound card is probably most wide spread in the demo scene of
PC's.  It is seen in 1 of ever 2.5 demos out there, and it is growing
rapidly each month.  All the top groups support the GUS including Future
Crew, Renaissance, Razor 1911, Xography and more... All small groups are
also coming out with support to the UltraSound, but the thing I still do
not understand is why groups that have heard of the card do not support
it.  The UltraSound is very simple to program for, it is many times easier
than the Sound Blaster, yet some groups, especially Ultra Force Development,
insist on supporting only the SB, when it is a short job to add support for
the GUS.  I would like to get more groups interested in supporting the GUS! I
think the easiest way to do this would be to release a source code for a GUS,
SB, SBProro - mod, s3m, stm, far, 669 player to the public, this way other
groups could play their song format with support to the GUS card.  But to do
this, I would need some programmer who is willing to put hours of work, into
writing a very flexible source code with support for all the formats. If you
are interested in doing this then do not hesitate to contact me, although it
is a long process it would be well worth it.  My group can supply help to
accessing the SB, and SBPro cards and for playing some of the formats, but we
would still like help in this area.

A lot of demos out there already support the UltraSound, which is great!
But some demos do not, and they would sound a lot better if they did!  I
guess the main reason I am interested in doing this is because I am tired
of listening to demos without sound, where SBOS does not work properly.

As many of you don't know, I live very near to the Advanced Gravis
building, it is only a couple miles away from me.  And we have talked
a lot with Gravis, one thing we have found is that the GUS card is great!
But the service is by far the worst in the world!  If these guys would
stop being so greedy, their sound card could go a lot further!  Why not
send source code to major companies & demo groups like MicroProse, and
Trilobyte so they can include GUS support in their games?  Why not
release the source to SBOS so that some smart programmer out there can
increase it's quality dramatically?  If Gravis did this I'm sure their
card would go a lot farther.  But they aren't.

So if anyone wants to help prepare letters and source code to send to
these game companies & demo groups through the mail, then please contact me
also.

And last but not least, the magazine will not only be going to a Graphic
User Interface with mouse support soon, but it will also have music.  If you
are an aspiring musician then please send us some of your music in mod 4,6,8
track format, or Far 4,6,8,16,32 track format and we might implement it
into the Graphic version of the magazine, so that GUS users who read this
mag across the world can hear your tune!!!  So send us your music, for a
chance to get famous, if you are sending music please send it to the
Immortal Syndicate internet address or the Pentium BBS.  Not to the GUS
NEWS as we will be handling the graphic part of this magazine...

Well that's about all, thanks for taking the time to read this article and
remember to contact us if you are interested.

                 L8r,  NutCracker, the Immortal Syndicate

Pentium BBS: (604) 533 - 3720 (Send music here)
Fax 24hours: (604) 738 - 8428
Internet   : a42@mindlink.bc.ca  (or here)
Compuserve : 74640, 3603  (or here)
Snail Mail : NutCracker    (but try not to use this!)
             6638 197st
             Langley Bc
             V2Y 1A8
             Canada


ͻ
              "Mouche on Digital"  -- Luigi "Scaramouche" Smythe            
ͼ

Title: Orinocco Rave - Ultra-XTC mix
Format: UltraTracker v1.5
Filename: XENYA.ULT
File size: 292,245
Play time: 3:17
Composer: Mental Floss of Sonic Ecstacy

   According to the info file included with this tune,  it  was  originally  a
.MOD  by a fellow named PCkS.   Then Mental got hold of it and "remastered" it
as an .ULT.   I've never heard the  original,  so  this is totally based on my
impression of the .ULT.   It would seem, from what the info file says, that he
did little more than "fine-tune" it.   Just got it to sound a little smoother.
He should have done more.

   I like techno just as much as  the  next  guy.   In fact,  it's my genre of
choice.  But it seems that techno is being used more and more as an excuse for
boring music.   This is a perfect example of the typical bad techno piece.  It
starts with the basic harp track from Enya's "Sail Away"--which is where  most
of  the samples come from--plays it twice,  and then adds a snappy drum track.
I can handle this,  but the drum  track is pre-sequenced.   I can handle this,
too,  but the pre-sequenced drum track is overused.   When you've got  a  drum
track that you can't change, and you overuse it, you're in trouble.  Now, I'll
admit,  I'm guilty of this same thing myself,  in one of my latest songs,  but
that was only once, and I justified it by putting some interesting melodic and
harmonic  things  over top of it,  which comprised the bread and butter of the
piece.  The drums were just there so the beat wouldn't get lost.

   Unfortunately, Mr.  Floss showcases the drums and the harps and does little
else for too long,  except adding  some  lyrics ("Sail away,  sail away,  sail
away," of course).   Then he dispels all illusions of  continuity  and  breaks
into  something completely different.   The drums get dropped without warning,
and the  music  changes  to  minimalist  new  age  "pads"  with  some  sort of
minimalist new age wordless vocals.   And then the same drum track gets  added
on top of that.  And then it goes back to the harps/drums.

   Now comes the redeeming feature.   The "avant-garde rave" part, as he calls
it.   It happens suddenly, but it doesn't sound awkward.   It consists of some
Enya samples,  used with standard  techno  motifs.   There's just two problems
with that.   One,  Enya stuff does  not  lend  itself  very  well  to  techno,
especially  not  fast  and  heavy  rave like this.   And two,  standard techno
motifs,  while they may be safe and easy,  are not very creative, and one gets
tired of hearing them in one song  after another.   But then he introduces the
other pre-sequenced drum track,  and the whole thing doesn't sound  half  bad.
Granted,   it's  a  stock techno rhythm,  but it's hard to tell if something's
techno if it doesn't have *something* like this in it.

   With the solid beat still in place,  MF makes a valiant attempt to put some
creative stuff in.   Using  a  standard  techno looped-buzz sample,  he starts
going all out with pitch bends.   But it's not loud enough.   With some  "Sail
away" on top of it,  it's barely audible,  and the "Sail away"s sound very out
of place as a result.

   Once that's done with, he goes back to the wordless vocals, and then to the
harps/drum, and then a rather lame ending.  Ungraceful, you might say.


The ratings... (out of 100)

Creative: 65
   As I said,  I don't know how  much  of  this was Mental Floss' baby and how
much was PCkS', so neither one of them should take this personally.  But there
was nothing new and exciting to hear.   It's based on a very well-known  song,
and its treatment of it was not very original.  Worst of all, most of the song
was  just  combinations  of  recordings  from  various  sources,  not actually
original music.

Technical: 76
   Very  few  things were actually done badly,  but there were a lot of things
that could have been done better.   Only four channels were used, so Floss was
definitely not taking full advantage of his assets.   He could have used  more
channels,   made  better use of effects,  and sewn the parts together a little
better.   And he  could  have  used  some  more  instrument  samples and fewer
pre-sequenced ones.   However,  the samples were well-recorded, so I've got no
gripes about sound quality.

     (Editor's Note:  Just put the finishing touches on your latest and
greatest MOD, S3M, 669, FAR, or ULT?  Do you have a digital file that
you think is better than all the rest?  Well, we'll just see about that. :)
Send digital music files to Luigi Smythe on The UltraSound Connection BBS.
If it captures his interest, he may write your file up in his next digital
music review.)


ͻ
   The UltraSound Source   --    Information    --    Sunday, May 6, 1994   
ͼ

     The UltraSound Source is a magazine devoted entirely to the Advanced 
Gravis UltraSound card.  We are of the opinion that this PC sound card, and 
the UltraSound MAX, are the best and most cost-effective audio solutions 
currently offered by any company.  It is our steadfast position that
historically the UltraSound has suffered from bad representation from 
both media sources and opinions of those from various online services.  
Most of what is said to the detraction of the GUS, we feel, is either
incomplete or false.
     Therefore, we, through this magazine, are endevouring to right this
wrong armed with the only long-lasting weapon against falsehood--the
actual facts of the matter.

     How to contact The UltraSound Source:
                      
          For potential contributers (only those who wish to write for TUSS)  
     or any business concerns:  gusnews@aol.com
                                       
          For letters to the editors--only comments on previous issues,       
     announcements of new products/software, and errors:  gusnewsed@aol.com

          To submit to the G-List--see requirements above: gravislist@aol.com

          To submit a music file to the digital review:  send to Luigi Smythe 
     on The UltraSound Connection BBS (813) 787-8644

          To contact Immortal Syndicate and/or NutCracker (please see also    
     below):  a42@mindlink.bc.ca

          To contact Dave Redfen:  write to SysOp on The UltraSound Connection
     BBS (813) 787-8644

          To contact Nick Tucker:  pccnick@aol.com
 
          To contact Joseph Baxter:  madbax@aol.com  


Ϳ
                                                                        
              THE IMMORTAL SYNDICATE INFORMATION PACKAGE                
                           Release 2.1                                  
                             04/01/94                                   
                                                                        
                                                                        
         This file contains basic information about the                 
         Immortal Syndicate and our demos.  It also includes            
         lots of other information including FAQ's, and info            
         on contacting us.                                              
                                                                        
         We will update this file monthly, and it will be               
         available from our distribution sites, and from our            
         WHQ BBS's.                                                     
                                                                        
                                                                        
          Written by: NutCracker of the Immortal Syndicate 1994.        


                           Ϳ
                             MEMBERSTATUS  
                           

                      NutCracker        Design / Coder
                      Tcw               Head Coder
                      Shock Wave        Music
                      Syxx              Music
                      Pud               Grafix / Music
                      Digital           Grafix / Coder
                      Garbie Mutt       Grafix
                      Wire              Grafix
                      Mike Burns        Music System

Ϳ
0:                            THE CONTENTS                                  


        0: ...... Contents
        1: ...... Opening Words
        2: ...... Introduction
        3: ...... Front News
        4: ...... Upcoming Releases
        5: ...... Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
        6: ...... Current Member List
        7: ...... Viewing Demos
        8: ...... Demos for commercial Use
        9: ...... Contacting Us
       10: ...... Our Distribution Sites
       11: ...... Becoming a distribution site
       12: ...... Closing Words

Ϳ
1:                          OPENING WORDS                                   


 Hi everyone, welcome to the Immortal Syndicate info file version 2.1.  This
 version has some changes, from the last one, including spelling error fixes.
 :)

 I am pleased to announce a new member to the group!  His alias is Wire, and
 he will be turning out a lot of great graphics, you will see his work in the
 music disk and megademo.

 Now go on and enjoy the rest of this file...

 Signed,            NutCracker / Organizer.

Ϳ
2:                          INTRODUCTION                                    


 Hello, we are the Immortal Syndicate, we are a varliy new group who formed
 in late 1993.  We code VGA, Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro, and
 Gravis UltraSound Productions which are compatible with most 386's and 486's.

 This introduction is here to let you know about what we code in, how our
 grafix are drawn and other basic information about the creation of our demos.
 For information on how a demo is created, please read ISINFO20.TXT

 To start off let's talk about the code...
 Our Code is written in either Borland Turbo C++ 3.0 (4.0), Borland Turbo
 Assembler, and sometimes a bit of Pascal.  We have two main coders at the
 time; Tcw, and NutCracker but Garbie Mutt, and Digital also do some code.

 Now to music...
 The music is always written with great composing programs to list a few,
 Mod Edit 3.0, Multi Tracker Module, UltraTracker.
 Our music system is coded by Mike Burns for our use only, and will not
 be available to the public at this time... But future versions may be
 released as shareware.

 All sampling is done by us, (unless otherwise stated) on a PAS16 or a SB16.
 BTW Don't even try sampling on a Gus card!

 At the time we have two full time musicians; Shock Wave, and Syxx.  They will
 both be writing music for our upcoming mega-demo and music disks, along with
 those guys Pud also writes a bit of music.

 Grafix are an important part of our demos, and are done with an assortment of
 programs, including Deluxe Paint ][ enhanced.  And sometimes 3D studio.
 All our grafix, are drawn by Digital, Wire Garbie Mutt, or Pud.

Ϳ
3:                            FRONT NEWS                                    


 At this time we run two bulletin boards, which carry all our productions
 and have a growing collection of other PC-DEMOS from other groups, they
 are open 24Hrs. every day, the number is below... Along with the numbers
 for our distribution sites.

 The members of the Immortal Syndicate are mostly still in High school, or
 university, so we are very busy with home work and all. But we always find
 time to work on our projects and will try desperatley to keep our deadlines,
 if they are published ahead of time.  Of course with all our work we can not
 guarantee that we will meet it on time, so if we release a production a
 little late, try not to get to pissed. :-)

 At this time, we are taking a break from coding and preparing the outlines
 etc. to our new music disk and mega demo, so while we take it easy our
 musicians will be working really hard at creating some great songs for the
 muzic disk...  The aproximate completion date for the mega-demo is, sometime
 in late September to early October...

 Right now we are desperatley looking for people to distribute our files.
 If you would like to be a Immortal Syndicate Distribution site, then just
 send us some email/fax etc... and you have a big chance of making it!
 Make sure you read the paragraph about becoming a site later in this
document.

 We also need Euro couriers, if you live somewhere in Europe and want to carry
 our files around to every bbs you call, then fill out the questions that
 apply, to you in the dist site form.

 And last but not least, the Immortal Syndicate now has a InterNet address,
 so you can send any email to that account, the address can be found in the
 contact information of this document.

Ϳ
4:                         UPCOMING RELEASES                                


 The Immortal Syndicate Upcoming Releases for 1994, 95...

 Projects in progress: MusicDisk, VGA/Sb/SBp/GUS, coded by NutCracker, and
                       Tcw.  Music by, Shock Wave, Syxx, Pud and Garbie Mutt.
                       Aprox, deadline: August, 1994.

                       Mega-Demo, VGA/Sb/Sbp/Gus, coded by Tcw, NutCracker.
                       Grafix by Digital and Garbie Mutt.
                       Music by Shock Wave, and Syxx.
                       Aprox, deadline: October, 1994.

                       GrafixDisk, VGA/Sb/Sbp, coded by NutCracker and Tcw.
                       Music by, Syxx. Grafix by: Digital, Garbie Mutt, Pud.
                       Aprox, deadline: Undecided

 Projects Planned    : Mega-Demo Intro, VGA/Sb/Sbp/Gus, coded by Tcw, music
                       by Shock Wave.
                       Aprox, deadline: July, 1994.

                       View it grafix viewer for Gif and Pcx will also play
                       Mod/Voc/Cmf and other music formats.
                       Aprox, deadline: Undecided

  The names for everything still aren't fully decided on, but we will let you
  know when we have it all though out.

  Notice all deadlines, are aproximate ball park dates, so we can't guarantee
  that they will be out ontime, although after school lets out (June) we
  should have plenty of time to work on the Mega-Demo.

Ϳ
5:        FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE IMMORTAL SYNDICATE           


 This section is the area where we put all questions we've been asked and the
 answers to the questions we think you have burning in your heads...
 If you have a question send it over, Internet/Compuserve/BBS/Fax etc... and
 we will be sure to put it in the next release.


Q: How and Where can I get your and other groups' Demos/Intros?
A: There are several ways to get demos.
   The best way (if you have a modem) is to call an IS distribution site
   close to you. They SHOULD have all of our productions online and you can
   download them freely. Also many BBS' carry our productions and other
   groups' demos. If you don't have a modem, then getting our demos is a
   lot harder. We don't have a mailswapping system. So, if you have a friend
   who has a modem, why not try to get him to call one of our distribution
   sites. Another VERY good way to get demos is from the INTERNET. A very
   good demo site is ftp.uwp.edu which carries probably the best demo
   collection on internet.  Our demos can be fond in the directory
   pub/msdos/demos/groups/immortal.

Q: Are you going to release a musicdisk?
A: Definitley!  But probably not for a while, with lots of work going on with
   this up-coming Mega-Demo we probably won't release a musicdisk till
   sometime in late '94, but Shock Wave is working on some songs for one,
   along with Syxx and Pud.

Q: Why don't you demo guys use Midi?
A: The answer is simple, we don't use midi because of the the requirements.
   On one sound card a song might sound great, but on another sound card the
   same song may sound horrible or might not work all together because of the
   instrument requirements.  Another reason is because of the cost... There
   aren't any good midi creation programs that are shareware and a commercial
   one costs a lot of cash!  And there is also one more reason... Coding a
   player that will allow us to do graphic routines at the same time... Now
   that's another story... So don't expect midi in our demos...

Q: When you guys talk, do you call each other by your real name or by your
   alias?
A: Well usually we call each other by our real names, when introducing
   ourselves to other people we use our aliases, and then tell them our real
   names.  But once in a while when we are extremley bored or something, we
   talk to each other using our aliases...

Q: What programming books would you recommend?
A: This is a hard question, the most basic answer is that mostly all
   books will do.  You can get the basics from a book and books are
   a great reference, but when it comes to creating something original,
   you obviously can't just read it from a book. We have all learned
   coding the hard way (a lot of books and a lot of experimenting).
   Anyway, here are some of the books we often use for reference:

        Crash Course in C, Clayton Walnum
                Que 1993, ISBN 1-56529-149-2
                (Teaches various code etc, for C)
        Programmers guide to EGA and VGA cards, Richard F. Ferraro
                Addison Wesley 1989, ISBN 0-201-12692-3
                (This is good if you want to learn grafix, etc...)
        C++ The Complete Reference, Herbert Schildt
                Osborne McGraw Hill 1991, ISBN 0-07-881654-8
                (Great for beginners and Advanced C++ programmers)
        Programming the 80386, John H. Crawford and Patrick P. Gelsinger
                Sybex 1987, ISBN 0-89588-381-3
                (Coding the best way for the 386 cpu)


Q: Are you going to make games in the Future?
A: Well that is a good question, the answer is probably a yes, but we
   will probably stick with creating demos for the next couple years, and
   then start off with some games.  But don't get your hopes up too soon.
   Of course we have ideas for games, but these are year long projects, we
   have been thinking about the ideas though, if we were to code a game we
   may join forces with another demo group, and produce some rocking fun!

Q: What do the members of Immortal Syndicate do besides computers?
A: Almost all of us are still in school, (high school) or university.
   Most of us, do lots of homework.  And we have to study for tests
   all the time.  All of us are quite normal, except for the fact that
   we are smarter than most people at computers. =)   Our hobbies include
   movies, sports; Baseball, hockey, football, music, etc...

Q: What sound cards will you support?
A: At the moment our productions support the following sound cards:

        Gravis UltraSound   - Because of the programming and Sound Advantages
        Sound Blaster Pro   - Because it's out there
        Sound Blaster       - Because it's a standard

  Support to the GUS is finally here!  After missing it in Quiktro, our
  next releases will support the Gravis UltraSound!  Although they system
  still has some minor bugs, we can 95% guarantee, the gus support in our
  next release.

Q: What is the best way to contact you, and how do I go about it?
A: Tough question, because there are many ways of contacting us.  I can tell
   you that the worst way is standard mail... Because it's so slow.
   But if you want an answer within the week, I suggest sending us Email on
   Internet, or Compuserve.  If you want an answer within a day or as soon
   as we read it, I suggest faxing us.  You can find our contact numbers in
   the contact area of this file.  To mail us Email on Internet or compuserve,
   you first need Internet access, or a compuserve account, if you don't have
   these then forget it... If you don't have access to a fax machine or fax
   modem, then you can send us mail, but don't expect an answer soon.
   Also if you leave a voice number, or some way of us getting in touch with
   you quick, we will contact you that way, otherwise it may take longer for
   us to get back to you.
Q: Why do your demos require a 386 or higher to run?
A: There are several reasons for the requirement; For example, 386 has many
   new assembler commands, 32bit registers, (which we use a lot of) and of
   course more processing power. The 386 is just to slow to run a fast demo,
   like the ones we code although some might run on a lucky 286 we don't want
   to take the time to sharpen our code to work with a 286, and anywayz 286
   computers are dead! (well almost...)


Q: What programs do you use to do your demos?
A: Well we already answered this above but here it is again.
   Borland C++, Turbo Pascal and of course Turbo Assembler
   For graphics we use Deluxe Paint 2 Enhanced. For making the music we
   use Assorted Mod editors including Multi Tracker Module. (Renissance '93),
   Ultra Tracker and Modedit.  All sampling is down with our own programs,
   using a Sb16 and a PAS16.
   Other than programming languages and composing programs we also use an
   assortment of our own programs including our own music system, our own
   graphic viewer, and several conversion programs for music and graphical
   purposes...

Q: What is a list of all your releases to date?
A: Here is a complete listing of all our releases to the date of 04-01-94

   Filename:       Size:   Release Date:      Short Description:
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   DIRTBALL.ZIP    75069   11-15-93  Dirt Balls mod composed by Shock Wave
   GHOST.ZIP       234471  11-15-93  Ghost mod composed by Shock Wave
   PENTIUM.ZIP     294265  01-24-94  Pentium BBS Loader Vga/Sb/Sbp
   ISINFO10.ZIP    6796    01-28-94  Immortal Syndicate Information File 1.0
   DCULT-IS.ZIP    469627  02-02-94  dC.ULT song for the Gus Card by Syxx
   ISINFO20.ZIP    12403   03-08-94  Immortal Syndicate Information File 2.0
   QUIKTRO.ZIP     418227  03-11-94  Quiktro Mega-Intro Vga/Sb/Sbp/Gus
   SHADEBOB.ZIP    6368    03-12-94  Shadebobs by NutCracker with full source
   LOADER.ZIP      5718    03-24-94  BBS Advertisment #2 Adlib
   LOADER20.ZIP    6058    03-26-94  BBS Advertisment #2 fix Adlib
   ISAD2SRC.ZIP    18947   03-26-94  BBS Advertisment #2 Full asn source
   ISINFO21.ZIP    10093   04-01-94  Immortal Syndicate Information file 2.1

Ϳ
6:                       THE CURRENT MEMBERLIST                             



               Alias:         First Name:    Main Job(s):
               -----------------------------------------------
               NutCracker     Daniel         Organizer, Coder
               Tcw            William        Head Coder
               Shock Wave     Randy          Musician
               Syxx           Gord           Musician
               Digital        Michael        Grafix
               Wire           Marc           Grafix
               Garbie Mutt    Brad           Grafix
               Pud            Aaron          Grafix


        Immortal Syndicate Courier Dudes:

               Alias:         First Name:    Courier Location:
               -----------------------------------------------
               W.C.McFly      Winston        Canada
               Dr. Strange    Paul           Canada


    NOTICE: Euro Couriers Wanted please Fax us or Email us over InterNet if
            you are intrested!

Ϳ
7:                          VIEWING DEMOS                                   


 A lot of demos look great when you view in normal daylight conditions, but
 most demos look even better when you shut off all the lights in the room,
 close the blinds/drapes, and cover up any l.e.ds.  Here's some suggestions
 for viewing ours and other groups demos.

 a: Turn off all lights in the room, shut all blinds/drapes
 b: Cover up computer and monitor lights using, silly putty / thumb tack, or
    a jacket / coat.
 c: Have your speakers at a right angle to your head, (Beside your ears!)
 d: If you have seen a demo several times, and are getting bored of it, try
    it again, but tape a piece of Paper Towel across your monitor, this will
    give it a weird effect, use this only on very colorful demos.
 e: Turn up your speakers full blast.
 f: Lock the door so you don't get any interruptions.
 g: Wait till night time before you view a demo, otherwise light can shine
    through the slits in the blinds, and ruin the demo.
 h: Turn Caps-Lock, Num-Lock and Scroll-Lock lights off (On your keyboard)
    otherwise they will cause unwanted light.
 i: Turn the ringer on your telephone down, if you get a lot of calls like us!
 j: Try putting stuff over your monitor, that is see through, some ideas are:
    A white t-shirt
    Tracing Paper
    Regular Paper
    A mirror at right angles to the monitor
 k: This next effect is kinda neat I hear but I have never tried it.  Take a
    box and cut both ends open, place a big mirror on each panel in the box,
    make sure the box is the size of the monitor, and place the box over it,
    and then view it, supposedly gives an awesome effect on starfields!

  Fax us, mail us, or call our bbs and send us your Demo Viewing ideas, if
  they are new and original, they will probably get published in the next
  ISinfo release!

Ϳ
8:                     DEMOS FOR COMMERCIAL USE                             


        If you find our productions interesting and would like us to make
        an audio visual presentation for you for commercial purposes, do
        not hesitate to contact us.

        When contacting us, please, include a short explanation of
        what kind of a demo you are interested in.  That would greatly
        help us in evaluating the size of the project.
        Please include, this information:

        - What kinds of demo effects would you be interested in
        - Should there be any still-pictures (logos, etc.)
        - If the demo should have sound, which sound cards would you like
          to be supported, what type of music should be played, etc.
        - How big should the demo could be in kilobytes and for how long
          should the demo run in minutes approximately.
        - Where would the demo be used and how soon would you like the
          demo to be finished.
        - Would you like the demo to support looping or have any special
          key functions

        We would like you to understand that our demos are NOT animations.
        This means that nearly everything you see on the screen is being
        real-time calculated. The speed of the movement is usually
        dependant to the speed of the VGA card and the speed of the
        CPU.


        When contacting us, you should remember that we area all quite
        young and are still studying in various schools. This is why
        our time is usually quite limited. And it is very likely that
        we might already be involved in another project.  So remember
        the sooner you want it, the more it's gonna cost ya. =)

        You should also know that we do not make demos for Microsoft
        Windows due to its limitations from a programming and graphical
        point of view.

        Since normal mail is a very slow way to communicate, we would
        prefer it if you contacted us through bbs, fax, Compuserve
        or Internet.

        You can find our contact information below in this file.

Ϳ
9:                 HOW TO CONTACT THE IMMORTAL SYNDICATE                    


   !! We now have an InterNet address !!

   SNAILY MAILY:             Fax:                         CompuServe:
                                         
   Immortal Syndicate        (604) 738 - 8428             74640, 3603
   c/o NutCracker            At Tcw's Place.              NutCrackers Account.
   6638 197st
   Langley, BC
   Canada, V2Y 1A8


   Internet:
   
   To Wire/NutCracker: A42@MINDLINK.BC.CA


                           The World Head Quarters:
                           

                              PENTIUM BBS - WHQ
                                1-604-533-3720
                              NutCracker/Miester
                                 Canada, BC

Ϳ
10:                      OUR DISTRIBUTION SITES                             


 Here is a complete list of all our distribution sites and their phone
 numbers:

Ϳ
Country:  BBS name:            BBS number(s):          Sysop / Group:    
ʹ
Canada    Pentium - IS WHQ     +1-604-533-3720 HST/v32b NutCracker  / IS 
Canada    Garbage Inbound      +1-604-882-8647   14.4   Garbie Mutt / IS 
Canada    Michelangelo BBS     +1-604-582-9894   14.4    Michael Bendner 
USA       Programmers Oasis    +1-214-328-8979 14.4v32 Daniel Potter / DI
USA       Metro Holografix     +1-619-277-9016 14.4HST   The Finn / VLA  
USA       Frappe BBS           +1-619-596-7863   14.4    Wonder Monkey   


           More distributors wanted Fax / Email / Modem us! Please!!!


Ϳ
11:           BECOMING A DISTRIBUTION SITE & IT'S REQUIREMENTS              


 We have changed some things about the distribution site rules, now there
 are only two!  Almost anyone who runs a BBS can become a site, all you have
 to do is contact us, and we will get back to you right away!

 Make sure when contacting us to leave your BBS name, number, location and
 the sysops name!

 - Make sure your bbs runs at 14.4bps at least!
 - Create an Immortal Syndicate File area for All IS releases

 - After you have been verified download all Immortal Syndicate releases from
   a different dist-site, or grab them from our Internet site at:
   FTP.UWP.EDU - Pub/Msdos/Demos/Groups/Immortal

Ϳ
12:                         CLOSING WORDS                                   


 Thanx for taking the time to read this file, all we can say here is be ready
 for more exciting productions from the Immortal Syndicate.  Please support
 your favorite demo groups by submitting ideas, or becoming a distribution
 site or courier, if you would like to support us, call our WHQ bbs, and
 leave us a message, fax us, OR send us snaily maily...

 Signed,          NutCracker / Immortal Syndicate


 Greets go out to:
 

               Renaissance, Future Crew, Pelusa, Sonix, Digital Infinity,
               Data Action, Epical, VLA, Gravis, The Emulator Institute,
               and anyone else who thinks they deserve them.


 Personal greets:
 

From NutCracker : Gore / Fc, Daniel Potter / DI, DareDevil / Ren,
                  John Smith / Gravis, The Finn / VLA, Abyss / Fc,
                  Darkness / Imphobia, Pelusa, Edge / Unexpected.
From Digital    : Pixel / Fc, Marvel / Fc, Joachim / Triton, Zebig /
                  Lord Something / Virtual Visions, Consel / Ravel
From ShockWave  : C.C.Catch / Ren, Purple Motion / FC, Leinad / Avl.
From Garbie Mutt: Marvel / Fc, DareDevil / Ren, Pelusa, Havoe / Absolute,
                  Sigfrid / Impact Studios, Pixel / FC, John Smith / Gravis.
From Wire       : Jason / STCRF, Pixel / FC, Marvel / FC, Desolation / VLA
From Tcw        : Psi / Fc, The Kabal / VLA, All of Renaissance
From Pud        : Pixel / Fc, Mosaic / Ren, Ryan Cramer / Ren.
From Syxx       : Alan Alveres / Gravis, Mysterious Mas, C.C.Catch / Ren.

Ŀ
      Pentium BBS - The Immortal Syndicate Official World HeadQuarters      
 Operating 24hrs, a day 365 days a year.  Offering a wide selection of demos
 music, and programming files.    Located In BC. Canada. (604) 533 - 3720   



ͻ
                Gravis UltraSound Frequently Asked Questions                
ͼ

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1.  What is a GUS?

A1.  GUS is short for Gravis UltraSound, a soundcard introduced by
     Advanced Gravis in August, 1992.

Q2.  What makes a GUS better than a SoundBlaster, PAS, or other cards?

A2.  The GUS uses wavetable synthesis (like that found in High $ Roland
     sound canvas and Turtle Beach Multi-sound systems), whereas the
     SoundBlaster/PAS both use F.M. (Frequency Modulation) synthesis, which is
     presampled instruments that, in quality, can not stand up to wavetable
     synthesis music because of the technology gap.

Q3.  Why get a GUS if you already have a SoundBlaster or PAS?

A3.  The answer here lies within the question:  Do you want a better sound
     standard than we presently have?  Most games that come out support SB and
     Adlib for the most part, and some have General MIDI or some other Roland
     music type added.  The point of getting a GUS is wanting better quality
     music for less the price.

     Sure, you can get the best music available with a $700 Multi-Sound
     or Sound Canvas, but not everyone has that kind of money to put into
     getting a sound card.  This is where the Gravis UltraSound comes in.
     It can be had at most places between $100-$130US.  With Mega-Em
     you have emulation that is very much near the quality of a Multi-Sound
     or Sound Canvas at 1/6th or so of the price.  Advanced Gravis gave
     us the technology for the better sound platform.  Now, its up to
     us to help make it the standard.

Q4.  Why is this going to be a difficult process?

A4.  This is going to be difficult in the facts that the GUS does not
     emulate the SoundBlaster all that well, except for DAC.  Most games
     support the SoundBlaster, and there lies the problem.  The future
     looks bright for the Gravis UltraSound, but there are a few games
     now & then that do not sound good at all on a Gravis UltraSound (and
     then there are a few that sound better that a SoundBlaster with SBOS!)
     but, those few that don't work well and give problems will be highlighted
     so much that the average person may not consider the Gravis UltraSound
     because they have read certain 'horror stories' about the card.
     The main trick about the GUS right now is knowing what emulator to
     use with what until it gets more native support.  There are lists
     around that show what emulator to use with what, G-LIST, which is
     available from Gravis Support Boards, as well as America Online.

Q5.  How can I help the GUS become the 2nd generation sound standard?

A5.  First off, get one.  Experience is the best teacher.  We are not
     trying to say the GUS is the best card for EVERYONE to have, far
     from it, because its not.  The people that have the money to spend
     on the higher quality cards should do so.  Not to say the GUS is
     of low quality because of its price, we know it is not.

     There are professionals that are making good use of Gravis UltraSounds,
     just by looking at the Musicians digest that can be inferred.
     Still, there are a few people out there that are not willing to
     tweaks with a game and emulators to get better quality sound.  These
     are the ones I am referring to, who should not get a GUS.  The
     card does require tweaking and knowing how to setup emulators to
     use.  The end result is better quality music/sound.

Q6.  What are the benefits if the Gravis UltraSound does become the
     2nd generation sound standard?

A6.  More and more people could enjoy great quality sound, at low cost,
     without setup problems.  Once companies realize how many UltraSounds
     there really are out there, and how completely loyal and supportive
     some of the people who use the GUS are, they will start supporting us.
     (This excludes the companies that already support the GUS, which
     I would like to personally thank for going out on a limb and supporting
     us, you have made a good choice)  The others are the ones we have
     to convince.  Once this is accomplished, then more and more people
     will understand that the GUS is the way to go.
                                                       --Nick Tucker


ͻ
                        Adding DRAM to the UltraSound                       
ͼ

     An Advanced Gravis UltraSound is unique in the way it handles the MIDI
patches it uses.  A "patch" is a sound file of a particular musical
instrument that a MIDI Wave Table device uses to produce sound.  A Wave Table
Synthesis sound card, such as the UltraSound, sounds far superior to a
Frequency Modulation sound card for that reason, as only actual recorded
samples of real instuments are being used.  However, most other Wave Table
cards--and the FM cards with MIDI capabilities--store their MIDI sound patches
in ROM (Read-Only Memory) chips on the cards themselves.  This allows the card
quick access to the sound patches, but prevents easy up-grade.
     Advanced Gravis, with their decision to produce the ultimate "do-all"
card, designed a different--and some would say, better--method.  Instead of
onboard ROM chips, the GUS stores it's patches on the PC's hard drive.  This
allows the USers to change, edit, and add patches as they see fit.  The GUS
owners may even make their own patches--if they've the equipment.
     But with this, a problem arrived--how can the card make use of the sounds
if they reside on the hard disk?  The easy and obvious answer is also the
correct one, one must add RAM (Random Access Memory) to the card to provide
a site for the synthesis chip to manipulate the patches.  It is in just this
way, to a greater extent, that your PC's Central Processor uses your
computer's RAM.
     Thence came the DRAM chips to the UltraSound.
     It functions along these lines:  Before there is a need for the patches
to be played, the GUS loads as many of the needed patches as can fit into the
DRAM for playback on command--which is where there comes the rub.  Although
they may seem small on the hard drive, the patches still take up space.  They
can be anywhere from a little over a thousand bytes to files approaching one
hundred and fifty thousand bytes.  When the fact is taken into consideration
that the UltraSound (in an effort to keep retail costs low) ships with 256K of
DRAM, it is no trouble to see the memory restiction.  Therefore, if a certain
.MID file requires 6 large patches, and the first five fills the 256K of
memory, then the sixth patch is cut and won't be played.
     To remedy this, the GUS has 3 extra banks of sockets--filling these with
six chips upgrades the card's memory to a full megabyte.  The advantages of
this are very straightforward.  After it is done, one can hear the MIDI sound
to it's fullest measure.  Each .MID file, when played with all the needed
patches, will sound as the composer intended it.  Software such as MegaEm
suddenly sounds even better than before now that more patches can be loaded,
and drivers such as UltraMID no longer need to work the PC's hard disk
constantly loading patches.  Overall, a great improvement, and highly
recommended to ALL UltraSound owners.
     The type of chips required are 256 X 4 DRAM chips.  They can be in a
range of 70ns to 100ns access time.  Authorities say that the UltraSound's
structure is such that it transfers only at 100ns, so faster chips make very
little difference.  Current price--instead of speed, then, should be the
factor that decides.  These chips are overly high in price at this time,
averaging five to seven dollars each--but can be had for much, much less.
Keep in mind that one MUST upgrade TWO chips at a time--steps of 256K.
     Once this is done, there is in the version 2.06 UltraSound software a
utility called GUSDRAM.EXE which completely tests the memory, and purges it.
If GUSDRAM returns that all is right, then something more entertaining is
mandated.  There is a bundle of .MID files that use full megabyte and all 32
of the UltraSound's voices, it is availible on The UltraSound Connection
BBS.  Also in the 2.06 software is a demo of 1 megabyte .MID files for the
UltraSound.
     One further note concerning installation of DRAM chips.  It is VERY
important that the chips are placed in their sockets properly.  Looking
closely, there is a small notch at one end of the chip--it MUST be set
corresponding the like notch in the socket.  Otherwise, damage to the chip and
possibly the card may be done.
                                                        

ͻ
                   Using UltraSound Drivers and Emulators                   
ͼ

     This document is meant to help explain the differences between some of
the various drivers and emulators the Advanced Gravis UltraSound uses to
achieve sound compatability in older games and applications that do not
support it natively.
     Recently, the Gravis UltraSound (GUS) has been receiving a great deal
of native mode support.  Sound in natively supporting games such as the
wonderful digital music in "Star Control 2" by Accolade and the mind-
numbing MIDI sound-track in id's "DOOM" happens via the game's sound
system, without any external software or driver.  However, with games
and applications that were produced before the GUS was availible on the
market, and--in all seriousness--most released thereafter, a driver or
an emulator is needed to allow the game to work with the UltraSound.
     The most well-known is, of course, the SBOS (Sound Board Operating
System) emulator that is included in the UltraSound's software.  Gravis
did not design the UltraSound to just be another Sound Blaster (Creative
Labs) clone, and therefore, there is no frequency modulation synthesis
chip on the GUS.  This has both it's benefits and drawbacks.  The benefits
are to the users and come as a result of a very clever market strategy.
That is, as the Gravis user base increases, software producers are more
and more enticed to include native-mode support in their offerings.  The
drawback, naturally, is the fact that the UltraSound is completely unable
to reproduce Adlib F.M. soundtracks.  Which is precisely the gap SBOS was
coded to fill.
     SBOS functions in two parts, one being the Digital-to-Analog converter
(DAC), the second is the F.M. emulator portion.  Even though the DAC is
the most easily done for the UltraSound, it is also the side that earlier
versions of SBOS had the most trouble with, thereby earning the first
UltraSounds something of a blackened reputation.  The current versions
run perfectly under most conditions, although with some software minor
problems occasionally happen--such as a dropped syllable in a digitized
sentence.  The F.M. emulation, on the other hand, has worked with a com-
paratively spotless record.  It is acheived by including in the SBOS a
set of sounds that were pre-recorded specifically for that purpose.  The
sounds, since they are of real instruments, are "brighter" and "punchier"
than the sounds an F.M. chip can synthesize.  However, it is an emulator.
SBOS does not sound like a Sound Blaster.  Which is not to say it sounds
worse, only different.  Many feel that in some cases it sounds better,
while in a few other situations all can readily agree that SBOS has missed
the emulation altogether.  SBOS is not a one-hundred-percent emulator, and
needs not be.  It is only a stop-gap measure that produces perfectly good
sound when native mode or MIDI emulation is not availible.
     The other emulator that is under current and wide usage is a program
called MegaEm.  This program originally started as shareware, and was
written by a man named Jayeson Lee-Steere in Australia.  At first it was
fairly unknown, until a few people found it hidden away on the Internet.
To use a cliche, it did indeed take the world's UltraSound users by storm.
So much by storm, in fact, that the talented Mr. Lee-Steere is now in
the employ of Advanced Gravis here in the United States.  The actual
brilliance of MegaEm rests not in any coding trick, but instead it is in
the recognition of the chasm it spans.  Almost any game or application
right now being distributed supports a Roland/Sound Blaster combination-
-a Roland MT-32 or SCC-1 for MIDI music and a Sound Blaster for the
reproduction of digital sound effects.  The UltraSound already had the
GF1 chip, capable of excellent quality wave table MIDI sound as well as
incredibly clean digital reproduction--and yet there was no way to exploit
these abilities with a good number of programs.  MegaEm uses a command
specific to expanded memory to rewrite the MIDI data a game sends to
the UltraSound's MIDI port, in effect it is "fooling" the software into
believing the UltraSound is a Roland.  This is combined with a remarkably
stable DAC, with which there has been no reports of "slippage" in re-
collection.  When "emulator slippage" occured under SBOS, it was fact of
life.  Whereas, with MegaEm, if one does not care for the instruments as
they are played, merely by editing an *.INI file the patches can be re-
mapped.  So, with a game like LucasArts "X-Wing", the UltraSound with
MegaEm gives MIDI music and digital sound effects.
     The third and final program this article shall cover is UltraMID.
UltraMID is not an emulator, rather, it is a driver.  It is used in con-
juction with games that are based on the Audio Interface Libraries (Miles
System) or DIGPAK system.  UltraMID is terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR)
program that works effectively as a software-based digital signal processor
(DSP).  The function it serves is to give a game which uses the AIL system,
such as Infocom's "Return to Zork", full MIDI and digital support.  This is
true native sound support--albeit via a small driver, and is found in the
majority of games and applications availible today.  There is now an updated
version of UltraMID that will work with the 32-bit versions of the AIL
system, except those from Sierra Online.  A patch for Sierra's 32-bit
drivers is currently under construction.
                                                   

ͻ
   May 6, 1994   --   The UltraSound Source Staff   --   Issue 1, Volume 1  
ͼ

     Contributers:

         NutCracker (Immortal Syndicate)  --  Demo Scene
         Luigi "Scaramouche" Smythe       --  Digital Music Review
         Dave "Wildcat!" Redfern          --  BBS Report

     Editors-in-Chief:

         Nick Tucker                      --  Business/Management
         Joseph Baxter                    --  Text/Layout
         

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    ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ
 ĳ  ͻ  Ŀ
   ĺ    Thank You for Spending Time with This Issue of        ĳ
    ĳĺ                                                        ĳ
 ĳ              The UltraSound Source Magazine                Ŀ
   ĺ                                                          ĳ
    ĳĺ    Remember--No Matter Where You Go, There You Are.    ĳ
 ĳ  ͼ  Ŀ
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   ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ
    ĳͻĳ
 ĳ              Released for Friday, May 6, 1994              Ŀ
   ͼ  ĳ
    ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ
 ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  ĳ  Ŀ
                                         

